A Possible Future by Jason Corley

Chapter Twelve

Naruto woke up to his alarm clock. He rolled out of bed knowing he had to get going. Naruto ate a bowl of cereal before changing from his pajamas to his usual orange suit. On his way out the door Naruto grabbed his backpack and locked the door behind him. Naruto then set out to meet Jiraiya for his two weeks of training.

Hinata woke to a very loud ringing noise. She sat strait up and looked in the direction of the offending noise. Sasuke was standing at the foot of her bed with a pot lid and wooden spoon. He had apparently been beating on the lid with the wooden spoon. When Sasuke saw he had Hinata's full attention he said "You have one minute to get dressed if you want to eat. Starting...now." Sasuke turned around and walked out the door. Hinata knew Sasuke was serious from the look in his eyes. Hinata was out of the bed and was pulling off the shirt she was sleeping in as she walked quickly to her wardrobe. When she opened it she only saw one pair of clothes. A blue shirt and a pair or blue pants. She put them on and was walking down the hall while she tied the drawstring on her pants. She was about to walk past the kitchen strait to the living room but saw Sasuke was in the kitchen. Sasuke handed her a prepared bowl of food and a glass of water. Sasuke said "Eat up. That's all you get until dinner." When Hinata saw Sasuke pick up his bowl and start eating fast, she realized she was going to be expected to keep up. She started shoveling the food into her mouth and when Sasuke put down his bowl in the sink, Hinata downed the water. Sasuke was walking out of the room leaving her behind. Hinata dumped the bowl and glass in the sink and followed after Sasuke. Sasuke was putting on his footwear. Hinata scrambled to put hers on and catch up. Sasuke opened the door and started running. Hinata closed it before running after him. Hinata saw that Sasuke had on his black shirt and shorts instead of his blue shirt and white shorts. Hinata realized he was going to pack in as much training as he could in the two short weeks before the Chuunin exam.

Later that day Sakura walked into Tsunade's office and was surprised to find Tsunade awake and busy doing work. When Tsunade got a free moment she told Sakura that she was going to be too busy with the up coming Chuunin exam to train her and that she would have to train by herself. Sakura left the main office wondering who she could train with. Naruto had told her the previous night that he was going to be gone. Ino wasn't going to compete and wasn't in training. And she assumed that Kakashi would train Sasuke again. Sakura decided to take a walk. In her wandering she found Kakashi coming out of a bookstore. He was looking at it like he had been waiting for it for a long time. He opened it up and read the first sentence when Sakura interrupted him. Kakashi sighed and turned to look at her "Ah, Sakura, what can I do for you?"

Sakura said "I thought you would be training Sasuke."

Kakashi retorted by saying "I thought you would be training with the fifth."

Sakura replied "She's too busy to train me."

Kakashi said "Sasuke has decided he doesn't need to train. So I thought I could catch up on the reading I've wanted to do."

Sakura looked down and said "I see."

Kakashi sighed again and said "But, if you need someone to train you I'd be glad to."

Sakura looked up to Kakashi and asked "Really?"

Kakashi smiled and said "Really." He added mentally, 'And I can still catch up on the reading I've wanted to do.' He then continued by saying "But first lets get some lunch." Sakura nodded and they walked to a cafe.

As they walked out they saw Sasuke run by them. They watched as he ran down the street.

Sakura asked "Wasn't that Sasuke?" then Hinata ran by them. "And Hinata?" Asked a confused Sakura.

Kakashi smiled and said "It looks like Sasuke is training Hinata."

Sakura yelled "What?"

Jiraiya stopped and said "Ok. This is the place." Naruto looked around and didn't see anything.

Naruto asked "Here?"

Jiraiya answered "Yes. You won't be able to hurt people in your released state out here." Naruto looked slightly annoyed at the implication that he couldn't control the Kyuubi. Jiraiya said "Anytime you're ready."

Naruto said "Ok. You asked for it." Naruto then let the red chakra surround him. Naruto's pupils narrowed into slits, his canines extended slightly, and he developed claws. Naruto dropped to all fours and let the the red chakra take the shape of the Kyuubi around him. Naruto charged forward.

Kakashi continued to read his book as Sakura tried to fight him. Between turning pages Kakashi would throw punches. He made sure not to go faster than what Sakura could handle. When he noticed the sun going down he told her that they were through for the day. Sakura didn't want to stop but knew it was up to the trainer to determine when they would train. Kakashi walked off still reading his book. Sakura went home not knowing where else to go.

Hinata was throwing kunais and shurikens at the targets. She looked like she could barely stand. Here throws were all off mark. Only some of them hit the target at all. Sasuke said "We're not stopping till you hit the target ten times in a row." Hinata stopped to catch her breath. When she did Sasuke threw a kunai at her. She instinctively dodged it and Sasuke said "Keep throwing." Hinata did just that. She resumed throwing at the targets. Eventually she hit the target ten times in a row. When she stopped she faced Sasuke in a ready stance. Sasuke said "You earned your dinner." and started walking in the direction of the house. Hinata fell to her hands and knees breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping from her face to the ground. When Hinata saw that Sasuke wasn't going to help her this time she forced herself up and staggered after him. Hinata lost sight of Sasuke but knew they were threw for the day. When she eventually got to the house she removed her footwear relieved to get it off her feet because they were sore from the running, jumping, and kicking. She saw Sasuke setting the table. Hinata was so hungry. She walked over to the table and collapse into a sitting position. Sasuke served dinner and they started eating. Sasuke said "I've prepared the bath. You may go first." Hinata bowed her head and they finished there meal in silence. Hinata walked to the bathroom and found the white kimono waiting for her there. She smiled at the thought and closed the door. She pealed off her sweat soaked clothes and put them in the basket to be washed. She slipped into the soothingly warm bath. She closed her eyes and she felt like the aches from the day were melting away. She wondered why Sasuke was being so demanding of her during training. She had trained all day long from the moment she woke up that morning and she felt that it was going to be the same everyday until the Chuunin exam. And as it turns out she was right. For the next two weeks Hinata endured constant training at the hands of Sasuke. She had gotten use to getting dressed in under a minute and woofing down her food to keep up with Sasuke's training regimen. She had gotten use to the morning runs around the village and the midday sparring matches. She had gotten use to the afternoon jumping exercises and evening sparing matches. She had even progressed in the nightly throwing practices from trying to hit the target to always hitting the target and trying to hit the bull's-eye. But she could not get use to the way Sasuke insisted on waking her up. The pot lid and wooden spoon was so loud.

During the two weeks Tenten had been sent on a mission to the country of sand. She carried with her a scroll for the Kazekage. And she returned with a scroll for the Hokage. When she returned she stood before Tsunade in silence while she waited for instructions. Tenten was always annoyed at how the fifth would make her wait. Tsunade eventually told her to fetch Lee. Tenten bowed to Tsunade and left in search of Lee. As predicted she found him training with Gai. After she informed Lee that the fifth wanted to see him, Tenten headed home to rest. She was growing tired of the missions she was being sent on. Being a ninja wasn't what she thought it would be. She thought there would be adventure but all she was finding was guard duty, patrols, and carrying messages. Lee arrived at Tsunade's office and knocked. When he was told to enter he did so. Tsunade asked him if he was aware they were looking for volunteers to go to the country of sand. Lee shook his head and stated that if no one else volunteered he would. Tsunade informed him that it would be an extended mission that would probably last for a couple months. Lee nodded in understanding. Tsunade told Lee that she was pleased that he was volunteering since he had been requested by the Kazekage. He was told that he was to leave within the week which happened to be right before the Chuunin exam. Lee waited until the second to last day of the time he was given to leave. He said his goodbyes to Neji, Tenten, and Gai then left for the country of sand.

Sakura spent most of her time waiting for Kakashi to show up to train her. She always complained about him being late but she never thought to train while she waited for him. She had often considered joining Sasuke and Hinata since she had been seeing them run through the village. Sakura couldn't help but wonder what type of training Sasuke could be giving her. He wasn't even a Chuunin so it couldn't be better than what she was getting from Kakashi.

The day before the Chuunin Exam started Sasuke stood at the foot of Hinata's bed. He held the wooden spoon next to the pot lid ready to ring it several times. But he didn't he gently tapped it once causing a somewhat pleasant ring. Hinata woke up to the steady sound and sat up in bed. She looked at Sasuke holding the pot lid and wooden spoon. She jumped out of bed and was about to shrug off her sleep shirt when she noticed that Sasuke had not left yet. She stared at him and he said "Take your time. We're taking a break today." He then disappeared out of the room. Hinata opened her wardrobe to find that she now had new sets of blue shirts and pants. Her old ones were also there but they had tears and holes in them from the extensive training she had undergone. She felt a sense of warmness in her that he had gotten her new clothes to replace the old ones. Even though she knew they weren't special they were what she liked to wear when training. But since today they were taking a break she decided to wear a kimono. She looked at her choices. She still only had the same three. She didn't feel like wearing the white one and the one that looked like fire seemed out of place to her. So Hinata went with the blue one with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. She tied the white obi around her waist before closing the wardrobe. She walked down the hall to the kitchen but Sasuke wasn't there so she continued to the living room where she found Sasuke sitting at the table. Breakfast had already been set out. Hinata sat down and poured tea for Sasuke. Sasuke poured for her then they both sipped at the tea. Hinata breathed in the smell of it to heighten the taste. It was the plum tea. It really was quite good she thought to herself. She looked up and saw Sasuke staring at her. He smiled to her and then started eating. She smiled back and started eating. When they finished eating Sasuke stood up and asked "Would you like to take a walk?" Hinata nodded but before she could get up Sasuke put his hand out to her. She looked at his hand then let her gaze travel up his arm to meet his eyes. Hinata reached out and grabbed his hand. Sasuke helped her to her feet and they walked to the door. She found that she now had sandals at the entrance and not just her ninja footwear. She looked to Sasuke who was putting on his footwear. Sasuke stood up and held out his hand for Hinata to balance herself while she put on the sandals. When they closed the door on there way out the snake laughed "Sss sss sss."

They walked side by side down the main street of the Uchiha manor and Hinata decided to ask "Has someone been doing upkeep to the houses?"

Sasuke looked down to Hinata and said "So you noticed." Hinata nodded. Sasuke continued "I've been doing occasional upkeep to them. I got tired of the place feeling like a morgue." Hinata didn't say anything to this. They walked a little further down the street and the wind blew causing Hinata to shiver at it. She felt Sasuke put his arm around her and pull her close to him. Right away Hinata felt the chill leave her and as they walked a little more she leaned against Sasuke for more warmth. They stopped walking when they got to the entranceway. Sasuke asked "Which way?" Hinata looked towards the market. Sasuke asked "Are you sure after what happened last time you wore that kimono around town." Hinata nodded and smiled up to Sasuke. Sasuke smiled back and they started walking towards the market.

As they walked Hinata asked Sasuke "What was it like?"

Sasuke asked "What was what like?"

Hinata answered "I was told you ran away to join Orochimaru."

The wind played with Sasuke's hair while he thought about what he wanted to say "I went to Orochimaru to gain power. And I got it."

Sasuke dodged a potentially crippling blow and retaliated with a series of attacks that Orochimaru easily countered. Sasuke was beaten for this failure at attacking. Sasuke rolled out of the way of another heavy attack. Sasuke had to have his Sharingan active to see the attacks and to have any hope of landing an attack. He still had yet to land more than a glancing blow against Orochimaru. When Orochimaru tired of playing with Sasuke he would turn him over to Kabuto. Once Orochimaru was out of sight, Kabuto would attack with a fury that Sasuke couldn't figure out why it was directed at him. Everyday Sasuke would be beaten to within an inch of his life and Kabuto would bring him back from the brink. After time Sasuke had seen Kabuto use some of his medical techniques while his Sharingan was still active. This allowed Sasuke to copy the technique. Sasuke was developing fast do to his fights with Orochimaru and Kabuto. Each time they used a technique Sasuke had his Sharingan active to copy it. What took the most ware on him was using so much chakra to have it active for extended periods of time. Sasuke eventually got to the point where Kabuto didn't use any new techniques against him. This gave Sasuke the opportunity to build up his stamina and chakra control. He was no longer constantly learning new techniques like he had been. When Kabuto quit fighting him he was forced to fight other sound ninja which meant he was using more energy towards learning more techniques. Sasuke found himself fighting until he could no longer move at which time his enemy would beat him till they had there fill.

As Hinata listened to Sasuke she realized why he had fought her the way he did that first time. She then realized that her training while intense still wasn't as intense as what Sasuke went through. She found a new respect for Sasuke. He wasn't just naturally better, he also fought and worked hard to become as good as he was. The wind blew causing Hinata to shiver again even though she was leaning against Sasuke and he still had his arm around her. Hinata tried to bury herself against Sasuke to get out of the cold. Sasuke looked around and saw a cafe. He lead Hinata over to it and they walked inside. Once inside they could feel the warmth of the cafe thawing their bones. The hostess looked at them and smiled thinking they looked like a nice couple. This was also the general impression that the villagers all had when they saw Sasuke and Hinata together. Their first walk started the rumor mill turning and was only feed by the daily runs they did. And now the villagers were starting to think it was true because of the walk that Sasuke and Hinata were now on. The hostess lead them to a table and the server asked them what they wanted. They both asked for tea. The server bowed to them and left to get the tea thinking it was strange for a couple to get tea at a place that was popular for coffee. When they received there drinks Sasuke and Hinata both sipped at them. They sat in silence for a time enjoying the warmth of the cafe and the tea they were drinking.

Sakura having felt like she waited long enough decided to head to town to get something to eat. On her way she came across Naruto walking with Jiraiya. Naruto greeted her and she greeted him in return. Jiraiya left the two of them to there own devices. The two of them were silent for a bit. Neither knowing what to say. Sakura spoke first "Do you want to get something to eat?" Naruto nodded and smiled. Sakura smiled and continued "I know this great place. It's very popular." Naruto didn't look quite as happy but he was still happy because it seemed Sakura had forgiven him. Naruto and Sakura walked along and came to the restaurant she was talking about. When they entered the hostess smiled to them and lead them to a table. Naruto and Sakura sat down. When the server asked them what they wanted, Sakura said they would both have coffee. Naruto looked annoyed at this and when Sakura noticed she told him that's what the cafe was popular for. When the server returned with two cups of coffee they ordered there food. Of course Naruto got ramen, while Sakura got a salad. Naruto often wondered why Sakura ate so little but Sakura always said she was on a diet and he didn't see a reason to press the subject. When the server was gone Naruto started looking around the cafe. He didn't really care for the style because he preferred the feel of a ramen shop. As his eyes wondered the cafe they came upon two people sitting by the window. One wore a long sleeve river blue shirt and white pants while the other wore a river blue kimono. What Naruto found strange at first was the person wearing the long sleeve shirt usually wore a short sleeve shirt and shorts instead of pants. After he got past this oddity Naruto realized it was Sasuke and Hinata sitting together. Naruto pointed them out to Sakura and she looked over at the two of them. They watched as Sasuke and Hinata drank their tea. Naruto and Sakura started discussing why they would be there together but not talking. Sakura told Naruto what she had seen of Sasuke and Hinata over the past two weeks. Naruto thought about it for a moment then told Sakura about Hinata wearing the Uchiha clan symbol while she and Sasuke were out for a walk. Sakura had finally talked to someone she trusted who could verify that rumor. She looked a little sad but kept the cheer in her voice. Naruto couldn't help but wonder if Sakura would be happier with Sasuke and if Hinata would be happier with him. Eventually Sakura and Naruto's food arrived. They started eating but there conversation was still about Sasuke and Hinata. Finally it looked like the two of them started talking but Naruto and Sakura couldn't hear was being said, so they talked about what they thought was being said.

Between sips Hinata and Sasuke started talking about the Chuunin exam. Hinata informed Sasuke of who made Chuunin and when. That all three of Gai's students made Chuunin the following Chuunin exam after Sasuke left. Sasuke grinned when he was told that Lee now looked exactly like Gai now. Hinata giggled a little at the thought. When Sasuke asked how Hinata did in that one she looked a little embarrassed and said that her team didn't get past the second exam. That they weren't able to find the second scroll in time. Sasuke nodded realizing that it did happen that way sometimes. He found it interesting that for that exam Sakura and Naruto didn't make it past the first exam because their third team member backed out. Of the ones he was familiar with that only left the 3 sand ninjas. He was told that Temari made Chuunin that time while Gaara and Kankuro didn't. He asked what happened to them and Hinata told him what happened in the fight between Lee and Kankuro. She also told him that neither Gaara or Kankuro have participated in one since. Sasuke asked about Gaara and Hinata told him that he was disqualified for not showing up. Hinata then told him about the second Chuunin exam after he left. How her team made it to the finals since there were no preliminaries that time. She explained that after her and Kiba were matched against each other they couldn't go all out so they didn't make Chuunin. Shino was lucky and made Chuunin by expertly setting up his enemy. Naruto and Sakura finally made it to the second exam with there new team member but failed to get a second scroll. Sasuke was beginning to think that all of them had been lucky that first time. Hinata was embarrassed to tell Sasuke that her team didn't make it past the first exam for the third Chuunin exam after Sasuke left because the third member of her team backed out of the first exam. He asked if she knew what happened to Naruto and Sakura. She said she heard that Naruto and Sakura's third member got injured during the second exam and they didn't finish. Hinata then told Sasuke of the fourth and last Chuunin exam since Sasuke had left. Hinata told Sasuke that Kiba lost in the preliminaries to Naruto again but because of how Naruto fights he did not make Chuunin even after he won the finals. Sasuke smirked at this. He asked what happened to her and Sakura. Hinata told him that Sakura lost to a wave ninja when she was imprisoned in a ball of water. Sasuke nodded understanding that if Kakashi couldn't get out of that move then Sakura probably couldn't. Sasuke asked again what happened to Hinata. She looked embarrassed and said told Sasuke that she lost to a mind jutsu technique. Sasuke felt sorry for her because he knew how back a mind jutsu could be. He still had nightmares from the one that his brother used on him. After they finished talking they decided to head back to the Uchiha manor because it was too cold enjoy there walk. As they were leaving Naruto and Sakura saw on Hinata's back, the Uchiha clan symbol followed by Sasuke putting his arm around Hinata before they walked out into the cold. Both Naruto and Sakura turned to look at each other and were speechless.

Author's Notes

Yes, I know. This is a bad one. It feels rushed. I tried to fast forward in time while explaining what happened in the two weeks. It could have been better but I didn't want to just drag out two weeks day by day. I still have plenty of ideas. I just have to get to them. Be forewarned, I am not the best at writing fight scenes. If in my rush I confused anyone feel free to ask questions. If you ask them before I get the next chapter out, I will answer them in that chapter.